New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.
 
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jsw
 jsw
(@jsw)
Famed Member
New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

In this morning's friendly spa^H^H^Hemail from Ultimaker, they announced their new Cura 4.13 (I currently use 4.12) which claims fairly phenomenal speed increases.  A few quotes:

"Ultimaker Cura 4.13 has finally arrived and it brings with it increased print speeds ... We have taken a long hard look at how our community were using our printers and it became clear that a lot of people have been tweaking our standard profiles to increase the speed of their prints. We know that every second can count when it comes to time-sensitive prints so we thought we would save you the hassle. We’ve gone through our print profiles and carefully optimized them to make them faster than ever!"

"As a result, you’re now able to print up to 2x faster when using our available standard profiles, and up to 3x faster when printings solids. We accomplished this by: 

Releasing a brand-new 0.3 layer height option for both the default and draft profiles. This allows you to print up to twice as fast without switching to a larger print core 

Improving how we handle solid prints. This means that parts printed at 100% infill will print up to three times faster – perfect for parts meant for engineering environments "

I'm not holding my breath, but I'll give 4.13 a try, along with the .3 layer height and see what it does.

Posted : 31/01/2022 12:34 pm
MysDawg liked
cwbullet
(@cwbullet)
Member
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

I might have to try this version.  I have rather unimpressed with prior versions.  

--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog

Posted : 13/02/2022 7:57 pm
bobstro
(@bobstro)
Illustrious Member
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

I haven't tried the latest beta of their Arachne release. Unfortunately, development seems to be moving slowly, but it promises to deal with the "buldge" issue.

My notes and disclaimers on 3D printing

and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Posted : 13/02/2022 8:46 pm
jsw
 jsw
(@jsw)
Famed Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

For the Prusa printer, PS does seem to be the better choice for most everyday prints.

Cura does have some strong points in some areas, such as supports.

However, I think a lot of the disappointment with Cura on the Prusa printers has to do with the inconsistent (and just plain wrong in some cases) default settings, which seem to be present with some Cura distributions.

The Cura I have has descended (several upgrades) from that I used at our local 'makerspace' so many years ago, which DID have Prusa as an option, but the settings for the MK3 were much too fast, particularly on the first layer.  The later Cura releases have a "MK3/MK3s" profile which is much better behaved.

Posted : 13/02/2022 11:15 pm
Swiss_Cheese
(@swiss_cheese)
Noble Member
RE:

@jsw

 

Yeah, well for PrusaSlicer 2.4.0 and 2.4.1 beta that doesn't surprise me, it's junk. no way they should have released this and I was expecting it to be better in the 2.4.1 release, it wasn't in my opinion, nothing that matters was fixed. 

I also have been using Cura again, and SuperSlicer, only problem with SuperSlicer is it's to closely related to PS, and the newest coming version will most likely inherit  it's problems.

I'm still trying to help folks with 2.4.0 + but there's only so much we can do. I'm getting the feeling that PS's glory days are on the way out.

I could never rely on it's current configuration for professional reliability, the only thing it does constantly is crash.

 

Good luck

The Filament Whisperer

Posted : 14/02/2022 3:56 am
cwbullet
(@cwbullet)
Member
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

 

Posted by: @swiss_cheese

@jsw

 

Yeah, well for PrusaSlicer 2.4.0 and 2.4.1 beta that doesn't surprise me, it's junk. no way they should have released this and I was expecting it to be better in the 2.4.1 release, it wasn't in my opinion, nothing that matters was fixed. 

I also have been using Cura again, and SuperSlicer, only problem with SuperSlicer is it's to closely related to PS, and the newest coming version will most likely inherit  it's problems.

I'm still trying to help folks with 2.4.0 + but there's only so much we can do. I'm getting the feeling that PS's glory days are on the way out.

I could never rely on it's current configuration for professional reliability, the only thing it does constantly is crash.

 

Good luck

Last time I check, 2.41 was beta and not an official release.  It is still better than Cura.  

--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog

Posted : 14/02/2022 10:59 am
jsw
 jsw
(@jsw)
Famed Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

I've never had issues with either PS or Cura crashing.

I use both on Ubuntu and an older Windoze machine, both are stable.

I usually reboot the Ubuntu every few weeks and bring up both when I reboot, and they stay up and are well-behaved.

Posted : 14/02/2022 12:19 pm
towlerg
(@towlerg)
Noble Member
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

@swiss what do you think was the last "good" version of PS, I'm guessing 2.3.3?

Posted : 14/02/2022 12:34 pm
Swiss_Cheese
(@swiss_cheese)
Noble Member
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

@towlerg

 

2.3.3 was the last stable final release for me. I started to have real stability problems from the 2.4 RC on, it's been crash after crash. It's been a struggle to use 2.4.0, it's got some great features, but I'm spending to much time crashing.

 

 

Posted by: @cwbullet

 

Posted by: @swiss_cheese

@jsw

 

Yeah, well for PrusaSlicer 2.4.0 and 2.4.1 beta that doesn't surprise me, it's junk. no way they should have released this and I was expecting it to be better in the 2.4.1 release, it wasn't in my opinion, nothing that matters was fixed. 

I also have been using Cura again, and SuperSlicer, only problem with SuperSlicer is it's to closely related to PS, and the newest coming version will most likely inherit  it's problems.

I'm still trying to help folks with 2.4.0 + but there's only so much we can do. I'm getting the feeling that PS's glory days are on the way out.

I could never rely on it's current configuration for professional reliability, the only thing it does constantly is crash.

 

Good luck

Last time I check, 2.41 was beta and not an official release.  It is still better than Cura.  

Yes Charles, I mentioned that 2.4.1 was Beta in my post, that you quoted. However it did not fix the troubles I've been having with it. I suppose I like Slicer better also, but if I can't use it professionally it's not helpful to me. I am making an effort to maintain my knowledge of the software should it become viable in the future, and also so I can still help folks here, since for the most part, I enjoy that in my spare time, and 2.4.0 is not backwards compatible with older versions of slicer.

 

@jsw

I use Cura, I use SuperSlicer, and I use PrusaSlicer, I should also mention I have used Simplify3D although that's almost a moot point now, and I have dabbled with Ideamaker.

I made the decisions several years ago to make a concerted effort towards Slic3r and moving forward Slicer PE, and so on,, I run it on Windows machines OS's from 7 through 10 and 2.4 is crashing a lot, I was asked to get on GitHub which I had already done in the past, for various other issues during Slicer development, and explain the problem and show a project file, aside from that costing me valuable time, the only way I would have to do such a thing would be for me to record my monitor with a separate camera, as two of the three crash types I'm experiencing choke my resources, running a screen capture won't work, and there is no one particular project causing the problem. However the problem exists.

For now I'm just using 2.3.3 and SuperSlicer and hoping things get better in future versions, or maybe when SuperSlicer adopts the new features in 2.4.0 it will be able to do it without crashing for me.

 

it's worth talking about.

 

Regards

 

Swiss_Cheese

The Filament Whisperer

Posted : 14/02/2022 6:50 pm
Stefan
(@stefan-3)
Estimable Member
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

It's been a struggle to use 2.4.0, it's got some great features, but I'm spending to much time crashing.

So, i know this is the "new Cura speed improvements" thread 🤣 ....

I just wanted to point out:
PrusaSlicer 2.4.0 runs super stable for me and the prints and seams look better than ever before.
So this is not a general Problem. The Release Candidates crashed often, but this is fixed in the released 2.4.0. 

Regarding Cura:  Is it worth mentioning that they now provide predefined
new combinations of big layerheight, big extrusion width and speeds ?

All things a experienced user can (and did !) already combine on his/her own...

 

Posted : 14/02/2022 8:14 pm
cwbullet
(@cwbullet)
Member
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

I understand your woes and concur that PrusaSlicer 2.4 is less than ideal.  I do find it easier to use than Cura.  Simplify3D is an ok alternative but it has its quirks.  My problem with Cura is the clunky interface.  It is just not the way I expect from a modern interface.  In PrusaSlicer, the buttons and menus are where I expect them to be.  I am on a Mac so maybe I am spoiled.  

--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog

Posted : 14/02/2022 8:46 pm
Swiss_Cheese
(@swiss_cheese)
Noble Member
RE:

@cwbullet wrote:

My problem with Cura is the clunky interface.

That's actually my only problem with Cura also. It doesn't feel comfortable, but I know how to make it do what I want, Just like Slicer, with exception to the crashing.

The Filament Whisperer

Posted : 15/02/2022 12:21 am
cwbullet
(@cwbullet)
Member
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

Slicer crashes for you?  What Os?

Posted by: @swiss_cheese

@cwbullet wrote:

My problem with Cura is the clunky interface.

That's actually my only problem with Cura also. It doesn't feel comfortable, but I know how to make it do what I want, Just like Slicer, with exception to the crashing.

 

--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog

Posted : 15/02/2022 12:28 am
bobstro
(@bobstro)
Illustrious Member
RE: New Cura promises significantly quicker print speeds.

I switched over to Cura back when I got my Mk3 (April 2018) but made the permanent switch back to PrusaSlicer once I realized no other slicer supports the maximum volumetric rate setting. I really like some things about Cura. The interface is quirky (as is PrusaSlicer's IMO) but some things I really like:

  • They provide a very granular level of settings tweaks (e.g., separate flow rates for infill, inner, and outer perimeters).
  • While the number of settings can be overwhelming, you can turn on or off the display of every settings, so it's easy to quickly set up a configuration showing only the settings you care about.
  • You can search for a setting and a filtered list of matching settings will show in a single list for ease of location.
  • Tree supports are well suited for printing miniatures with lots of fine overhanging parts.

I can also say that there are an equal number of complaints on the Ultimaker forums with every release. Even the "cast of characters" seems the same, with grumpy curmudgeon complaining that the software is unusable and worse with each release, and dozens of posts by new users that clearly haven't tried a search.

We're lucky to have so many free options available today that support a variety of printers. If you're not happy with a feature, there's a good chance another slicer has taken a different approach. This was definitely not the case a few short years ago.

In looking over the release, I'm understanding that the speed increases only apply to Ultimaker printers.

My notes and disclaimers on 3D printing

and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Posted : 15/02/2022 12:30 am
jsw
 jsw
(@jsw)
Famed Member
Topic starter answered:
RE:
Posted by: @cwbullet

My problem with Cura is the clunky interface. 

Cura has the absolute worst interface there is, except for all of the other slicers!  😉

Seriously, Cura was the first one I used, so that was what I compared PS to when I got the Prusa printer.

Yes, I considered the interface of PS to be 'clunky' at first, but I've gotten used to it and it is my go-to slicer for most things on the Prusa.

I *STILL* will occasionally right-click on PS expecting to get pitch-yaw, but getting surge-heave-sway instead.  😉  On Cura, a left-click drag just sits there and looks back at you.  😉

Posted : 15/02/2022 6:57 am
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